Cash advance apps like Cleo: Dave, EarnIn, Brigit, MoneyLion fees

Cash advance apps like Cleo (Dave, EarnIn, Brigit and MoneyLion) all advance small sums against your next paycheck without interest or a credit check, but none of them is free if you want the money today. What you actually pay comes from three places: a monthly membership, a fee for instant delivery, and, at some apps, a “tip”. On a $100 advance delivered in minutes, the published fees range from $5 at Dave (to its own checking account) to $8.99 at MoneyLion (to an outside bank account), before any membership.

This guide compares the four on their own fee pages, terms and help centers, plus the regulator cases each one has faced. Cleo is the baseline; our full Cleo review covers its plans, express fee and FTC settlement in detail.

Cash advance apps like Cleo at a glance

Sources: Cleo terms and pricing; Dave and Dave fee help page; EarnIn Cash Out and EarnIn fees; Brigit pricing and terms; MoneyLion Instacash and pricing. All checked September 30, 2026.

The headline maximums are ceilings, not what most people get. Dave says “few qualify for $500,” EarnIn says new members start at an $85 daily limit on average, and Brigit says its average advance is $73 (Dave; EarnIn; Brigit). Two of these companies, Brigit and Dave, have been sued by the federal government over exactly that gap between the advertised amount and the real one (details below).

What a $100 advance costs at each app

Here is the fee for one $100 advance delivered in minutes, using each app’s published schedule. Membership is listed separately because you pay it every month whether or not you borrow.

How we got the numbers: Dave charges “5% of the transfer (minimum $5)” and 1.5% more for delivery “within 1 hour” to an outside debit card (Dave). EarnIn’s Lightning Speed fee is $5.99 for transfers from $75.01 to $150 (EarnIn). MoneyLion’s Turbo table lists $6.99 to its own Spend account and $8.99 to an external account for $90 to $100 (MoneyLion). Brigit publishes only the range (Brigit terms).

What that is as an annual rate. None of these apps charges interest, so none quotes an APR. But a flat fee on a short advance works out to a high rate. A $5.99 fee on $100 repaid in 14 days equals about 156% a year ($5.99 ÷ $100 × 365 ÷ 14). The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) put the APR of a typical employer-partnered earned wage advance at 109.5% in 2024, and found expedite fees of $1 to $5.99, averaging $3.18 (CFPB). Colorado’s attorney general alleges EarnIn’s charges averaged about 388% APR in that state (Colorado AG); EarnIn has not been found liable.

The pattern matters more than one advance. The CFPB found workers took an average of 27 advances a year (CFPB). Twenty-seven $5.99 fees is $161.73 a year, before membership.

Dave ExtraCash

What it is. Dave’s advance is called ExtraCash. Dave says it is “not a bank”; its banking services are “provided by Coastal Community Bank, Member FDIC, or another partner bank” (Dave). Dave began funding ExtraCash through Coastal Community Bank on June 1, 2026 (Dave investor relations). Legally, ExtraCash is an overdraft on a separate ExtraCash account, not a loan: the agreement says there is no interest and no APR, and a negative balance is “payable immediately upon demand” (Dave ExtraCash agreement).

Amounts. $25 to $500, “typically authorized within 5 minutes,” with no credit check (Dave). Dave says it looks at “180+ data points, including income, gig or irregular work, bank balance, and spending patterns.” Its help center says on-time repayment, a positive balance and recurring deposits help, and that you cannot take more while a balance is outstanding (Dave Help).

Fees. Dave used to run on tips and express fees. It replaced them with a flat overdraft fee, completed for all members in February 2025, when it described the fee as 5% with a $5 minimum and a $15 cap (Dave investor relations). The cap is no longer on Dave’s fee pages. Its current help page lists “5% of the transfer (minimum $5),” free instant transfers to Dave Checking, 1.5% for delivery to an outside debit card within an hour, and free ACH to an outside bank in 2 to 3 business days (Dave Help). Dave’s second-quarter 2026 results mention “the relaxing of legacy fee caps” (Dave, August 5, 2026). In practice: on a $400 advance, 5% is $20.

The membership is “up to $5” a month and covers ExtraCash, budgeting tools and income features; you can cancel in Membership settings, effective at the end of the cycle (Dave Help).

Repayment. Dave collects from your connected bank account “around your next payday, or the nearest Friday,” and takes partial amounts if the full balance is not there (Dave Help). Dave says “late settlements won’t add late fees or affect your credit” (Dave Help). The agreement lets Dave close the ExtraCash account after 60 or more days negative (Dave ExtraCash agreement).

The federal case. The FTC sued Dave in November 2024, and on December 30, 2024 the Justice Department filed an amended complaint that added CEO Jason Wilk. It alleges Dave “very rarely” offered anywhere near the advertised $500, charged an express fee users learned about only after connecting their bank, pushed tips with claims about buying meals for children while keeping most of the money, and made the membership hard to cancel (DOJ; FTC case page). Dave called the case “government overreach” (Dave). Its August 2026 results report $4.0 million of “legal settlement and litigation expenses related to the FTC/DOJ matter” in the quarter (Dave).

EarnIn Cash Out

What it is. EarnIn, run by Activehours, Inc., lets you take part of pay you have already earned before payday. Banking services come from Evolve Bank & Trust and Lead Bank (EarnIn terms). It is the only one of the four with no subscription at all: “No interest, no credit check, no mandatory fees” (EarnIn).

Amounts and requirements. Up to $150 a day and $1,000 per pay period, with an average starting daily limit of $85 (EarnIn). You need a regular pay schedule, at least $320 per pay period, a US checking account (not prepaid or savings) and US residence (EarnIn Help). New York residents are capped at $100 a day. Among the factors EarnIn lists for raising your limit is “using fewer cash advance apps” (EarnIn Help).

Fees. Standard speed is $0. Lightning Speed costs $3.99 for $75 or less, $5.99 for $75.01 to $150 and $8.99 above $150; Early Pay costs $2.99 (EarnIn fees, updated September 8, 2026). Indiana, Florida and New York have different pricing, and some states run a no-tip model with its own fees. The product page still advertises instant transfers “starting at just $3.99,” which is the lowest tier, not the price for most amounts (EarnIn).

Tips are optional. Keep that in mind when the app suggests one: a $5 tip on a $100 advance costs as much as a Lightning fee.

Repayment. “On your payday, EarnIn will automatically debit your linked bank account for the amount you transferred out, plus any optional tips or fees.” You can ask support to move the date, by 8 a.m. Pacific at least one business day before the debit (EarnIn Help).

State cases. Colorado’s attorney general sued EarnIn on August 27, 2026, calling its advances loans under state payday and consumer credit law. The AG alleges 56,778 Coloradans took more than 3.1 million advances between January 2023 and July 2025, paid more than $16 million in tips and expedite fees, and paid a tip or fee on more than 92% of transactions, with an average APR of about 388% (Colorado AG). The District of Columbia’s attorney general brought a similar case in November 2024 (DC AG); EarnIn’s lawyers say most of those claims were dismissed in May 2025 and the DC Court of Appeals declined to hear the AG’s appeal (Hogan Lovells via PR Newswire).

Brigit Instant Cash

What it is. Brigit is run by Bridge It, Inc. and says it is “a financial technology company, not a bank” (Brigit). Upbound Group completed its purchase of Brigit on January 31, 2025 (Upbound).

Plans. The free plan has budgeting tools only. Plus, at $8.99 a month, adds Instant Cash, credit monitoring and identity theft protection. Premium, at $15.99, adds Credit Builder and free Express Delivery (Brigit Help, updated May 7, 2026). Brigit’s terms give the Plus price as “$5.99 to $9.99,” so the price you see may vary (Brigit terms, updated March 31, 2026).

Amounts and requirements. $25 to $500, or $25 to $250 in Maine. Brigit wants a checking account at least 60 days old with a balance above $0 and at least three recurring deposits from the same source, and it uses its own 0 to 100 score instead of a credit check (Brigit).

Fees and delivery. Express Delivery costs $0.99 to $5.99 depending on the advance size (Brigit terms) and takes “2 - 20 minutes for most users”; standard delivery is free and takes 1 to 3 days (Brigit Help). Brigit also says you can request an advance without a fee by emailing terms1@hellobrigit.com (Brigit Help).

Repayment. Brigit’s terms say Instant Cash “is not credit” and “you have no obligation to repay any advance,” that Brigit will not engage in debt collection, and that the advance does not affect your credit score. It does debit your account on the due date or an extended date you pick in the app (Brigit terms).

The FTC case. On November 2, 2023, Brigit agreed to $18 million in refunds to settle FTC charges that it promised “instant” advances of “up to $250” that few people got, charged 99 cents for express delivery after advertising free instant transfers, and blocked people from cancelling the $9.99 membership while an advance was open (FTC). The FTC sent more than $17 million to 1,818,930 people in November 2024 (FTC).

Cancelling. In the app: profile icon, Preferences, My Subscription, then “Cancel & Switch to Free plan.” An open Credit Builder loan has to be closed first, and you may still be charged at the end of the billing cycle in which you cancel (Brigit Help).

MoneyLion Instacash

What it is. MoneyLion Technologies Inc. is “a financial technology company, not a bank”; its Spend deposit account is provided by Pathward, N.A., Member FDIC (MoneyLion). Gen Digital completed its purchase of MoneyLion on April 17, 2025 (Gen).

Amounts. Up to $500, or up to $1,000 if you have a MoneyLion Spend account with qualifying recurring direct deposits. “No interest. No credit check. No mandatory fees.” (MoneyLion). The terms add that your limit “will not exceed 50% of the Eligible Direct Deposits” and that you need recurring direct deposits to qualify (MoneyLion terms).

Fees. Regular delivery is free: 1 to 2 business days to MoneyLion Spend, 2 to 5 to an outside account. Turbo delivery, in minutes, is priced by amount and destination (MoneyLion):

The pricing page also lists Credit Builder Plus, a separate membership, at $19.99 a month; you do not need it for Instacash.

Repayment. The terms say “Instacash is not a loan” and “there is no obligation to repay,” but you cannot take a new advance until earlier ones are repaid. MoneyLion says it does not use debt collection, sell the debt or report to credit bureaus, and it debits your account on a repayment date tied to your direct deposit, possibly from a backup payment method on file (MoneyLion terms).

The CFPB case. The CFPB sued MoneyLion in September 2022, alleging it charged servicemembers more than the Military Lending Act allows and kept charging membership fees after people asked to cancel. A final judgment on November 24, 2025 ordered $1.75 million in consumer redress (CFPB).

Are these advances loans?

The apps say no, and regulators disagree with each other.

• The apps’ position. Brigit and MoneyLion call their advances non-recourse and “not a loan”; Dave structures ExtraCash as an overdraft; EarnIn calls its product earned wage access (Brigit terms; MoneyLion terms; Dave).
• The CFPB’s December 2025 opinion. The CFPB said “covered” earned wage access is not credit under the Truth in Lending Act if four conditions hold, including repayment through a payroll deduction and no recourse, collections or credit checks. It also said “a transfer to the provider from any of the consumer’s regular transaction accounts after the payment of wages” is not a payroll deduction (CFPB advisory opinion, Federal Register). All four apps here collect from your bank account, not through your employer’s payroll.
• States. Colorado and the District of Columbia have sued EarnIn under lending laws (see above). Wisconsin licenses earned wage access providers and, from April 5, 2026, caps delivery fees and requires at least one no-cost option (Wisconsin DFI).

For you, the practical point is simpler: whatever the label, the fee is the price of borrowing for a week or two, and it should be compared as one.

How these apps compare with Cleo

• Cheapest route if you can wait: EarnIn and MoneyLion charge nothing for standard delivery and have no required membership. Brigit and Cleo also deliver for free if you wait, but their default path to an advance is a paid plan.
• Dave is different. Its 5% fee (minimum $5) applies whether you take the money instantly or by ACH, so there is no free speed.
• Highest advertised amounts: EarnIn ($1,000 a pay period) and MoneyLion ($1,000 with direct deposit). Starting amounts at every app are much lower.
• Chat and budgeting: Cleo is the one built around an AI chat assistant. The others have budgeting tools but lead with the advance.
• Regulatory history: Cleo (FTC, $17 million, 2025) and Brigit (FTC, $18 million, 2023) settled; MoneyLion settled with the CFPB for $1.75 million; the Dave case is still open; EarnIn faces the Colorado suit.

If you are comparing budgeting assistants rather than advances, see our guide to AI-powered financial assistants and Monarch vs YNAB.

Before you use one

1. Pick one app. Advances from several apps can all debit your account on the same payday. EarnIn even names multiple apps as a reason your limit may stay low.
2. Choose standard delivery when you can. At EarnIn, MoneyLion, Brigit and Cleo it is free.
3. Set tips to $0 if you do not want to pay one. They are optional at every app that offers them.
4. Cancel memberships you are not using. Brigit, Cleo and Dave bill monthly whether or not you take an advance. Screenshot the cancellation confirmation.
5. Watch the debit date. A failed repayment debit can trigger an overdraft or returned-payment fee from your own bank, even if the app charges nothing.
6. If you need an advance every pay period, a nonprofit credit counselor can review your budget for free or at low cost; the CFPB explains how to find one.

These apps also connect to your bank through a data aggregator. Our privacy walkthrough of AI finance apps explains how to see and revoke that access. This guide is general information, not financial advice. More guides: AI personal finance assistants.

How we checked this

We built this guide from each company’s own pricing pages, terms, help center articles and investor releases, and from FTC, Justice Department, CFPB, Federal Register and state attorney general documents. The dollar examples are our arithmetic from the published fee schedules. Facts checked on September 30, 2026.